DeCROCE: CORZINE AND HIS COMPTROLLER ONCE AGAIN PROVEN INEFFECTIVE AT STOPPING TAX DOLLAR WASTE

ONLY AFTER WASTE EXPOSED PUBLICLY BY MEDIA AND ASSEMBLY REPUBLICANS, STATE COMPTROLLER MAY REVIEW N.J. SPORTS AUTHORITY

      The fact that the State Comptroller may review wasteful spending recently exposed at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is more proof of why New Jersey needs an independent elected Auditor General with the power to recoup misspent tax dollars and punish those responsible, Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce said today.

      "If we had a truly independent watchdog committed to protecting taxpayers against abusive waste of their hard-earned dollars, the governor would not call for a review for political expediency because of another example of egregious spending at a state agency," DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic, said. "An auditor truly beholden to the people would have cut out this nonsense long before it was exposed publicly."

      New Jersey 101.5 FM reported today that Governor Corzine has asked the State Comptroller to look into the sports authority after public reports of authority employees spending lavishly on meals and upscale resorts while going to the Super Bowl, Eclipse Awards and Saratoga Springs.

    Similar wasteful spending uncovered by Assembly Republicans at the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors and New Jersey Redevelopment authorities prompted DeCroce to announce plans last month to introduce legislation this fall aimed at creating an independent elected Auditor General that would consolidate New Jersey's existing auditing agencies whose exposure of wasteful spending often goes ignored by elected representatives and bureaucrats.

      The new office would be empowered to recoup wasted tax dollars and punish those responsible.

      "New Jersey families struggle to survive in this overtaxed state while Governor Corzine, his subordinates and the Democrats who control the Legislature tolerate wasteful and abusive spending of public money," DeCroce said. "Because they have proven that our current system does not work, I will fight to make sure that in the future our residents will have a powerful ally to ensure their money is spent wisely and efficiently."

      For detailed lists of wasteful spending uncovered recently at state agencies, as well as New Jersey's history of ignoring such revelations, visit "Wasted Dollars" at www.njassemblyrepublicans.com.